A Winter's Tale
by cookies18
Summary: Snippets not more than 500 words: He met her again after five years, four months and fifteen days.
1. ramen and an old friend

**ramen and an old friend**

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_How long has it been since the last time I saw her smile?_

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"Come on, we're gonna be late."

"Eh?"

"Don't 'eh' me. Where's your mitten?"

He growled. Adjusting her fluffy rabbit earmuffs, he made a mental note to keep his girlfriend away from that Chappy obsessed midget.

Clumsily, she took out her purple mitten with tiny penguins that he bought her last week. She said they reminded her of those penguins in an anime she is currently addicted to, that apparently involves flying penguins and a football.

Taking the mitten from her, he helped her to put them on. "It's Thursday." Tucking the mitten in place, he added, "Orihime's Day."

She blinked, twice, looked at him with sparkling big round eyes and asked, "Orihime's special ramen?"

He gave her a small smile, "Ya, if that's what you wanna eat today."

He noticed that she has a different smile for everything when she gave him _that_ smile that makes him feels warm and fuzzy.

"Yosh! Kurosaki-kun is the best!"

"O-Oi! Don't run!"

Hastily, he picked up their bags, intended to catch up with his enthusiasm girlfriend but stopped when he saw her standing still at the school gate.

"Hime, what's wrong?"

He scowled, "Hime?" He turned, following her gaze, standing at the front gate, was a guy with dark hair in a white trench coat.

..

..

"Two miso ramen and one Orihime's special~ Enjoy your meal!"

He frowned.

She beamed.

He scowled.

"Itadakimasu!"

..

..

The sun was setting earlier today.

In a distance, a woman with a rainbow coloured scarf came out from the supermarket nearby holding a paper bag filled with groceries.

They walked Orihime home after having some ramen. Now, he was stuck in an awkward situation with this guy with weird hair and a permanent scowl.

The Kurosaki guy cleared his throat.

He looked at him from the corner of his eyes, "I'm very disappointed in you, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"W-What the hell?"

"What kind of boyfriend actually allows his girlfriend eating that kind of concoction?"

He remembered seeing some leeks, potatoes and lots of cabbages in the ramen she ate earlier. Plus, this Kurosaki guy even passed her the wasabi tin and watched her scooped a spoonful of wasabi into her ramen.

His eyes widen before they soften as he looked up at her apartment door, "It's her favourite… and …," He tried hiding his blushes by looking away and mumbled, "… and I'll just make sure she eats normal foods for the rest of the week."

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"I see."

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_I saw her smile again for the first time after five years, four months and fifteen days, and that day, I realized just how much I've missed her smile._

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**My first story! :D ****Please tell me what you think and thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up soon. Promise. :)**


	2. bruises and an unchangeable decision

**bruises and an unchangeable decision**

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He couldn't fall asleep that night. Pocketing his mp3 player and cell-phone, he decided to take a stroll at the park nearby.

The park was quiet and empty but it was alright, he prefers the silent atmosphere. A lot of unexpected events happened this week and he needed some time to think.

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To think about his father's decision to move to the states for better career options.

To think about how to tell her about his father's plan.

To think about the bruises he saw on her face earlier today.

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He frowned.

Fall down the stairs and hurt her face _like that_? He snorted.

She is not a good liar.

He has his suspicion that her father might be the one giving her all those bruises.

Since her mother ran away with another man two months ago, her father had been drowning himself with alcohol.

That pathetic man even quitted his job, putting all the household responsibility on his son.

Now, he is not only an alcoholic but is abusive, too.

How low can he get?

More importantly, how can she continue living with her drunken father?

He felt a headache was coming, closing his eyes, he enjoyed feeling the night autumn breeze on his face.

Autumn is her favourite season. Although she seems to like summer, spring and winter too.

In his opinion, she is weird, always able to find something good in everything and always with a smile on her face.

Maybe, that's what attracted him to her.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, he decided to head home.

With his hands in his coat pockets, he made his way through the shortcut alley next to the arcade.

The alley was dimly lighted with a single streetlamp and it might not be the safest alley here, but he will be able to reach home faster this way.

Halfway through, he heard a voice, someone moaning in pain.

Then he saw _him_.

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He was lying in a pool of blood next to a big green restaurant dumpster with a knife in his stomach and a bleeding forehead.

An empty wallet was discarded nearby.

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___Robbed and stabbed a drunk_ man? 

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He frowned and took out his cell-phone.

Then, an image of her bruised face appeared in his mind.

It was_ this man_ that gave her those bruises.

He looked at him, lying in his own blood, hopelessly gasping for help.

He tightened his hold on his cell-phone and his eyes harden.

That pathetic man was still holding a half full beer bottle in his left hand while his life draining out of his body when he walked away with his mp3 player blasting loud music into his ears.

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..

That was five years, four months and fifteen days ago.

The day he last saw her smile on her bruised face and the day her father died.

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**Thanks for the kind reviews and all those who favorited and followed this. Thanks for reading. :)**


	3. loud friends and an unexpected proposal

**loud friends and an unexpected proposal**

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She agreed to meet him on Friday, after school, just the two of them, without Kurosaki.

It appeared that the Kurosaki guy has part-time job every Friday.

And so, here he was, standing with her outside a donut shop.

_Mister Chappy's Donut_, a donut shop with weird name and an even weirder owner.

Firstly, the owner's hair is red.

Secondly, the owner is obsessed with tattoos.

Thirdly, the owner is, apparently, obsessed with bunnies, too.

The shop was decorated with fluffy looking stuff toys and bunny themed furniture.

A woman in front of them purchased a cup of hot beverage, it smelled like coffee.

He frowned.

It was served in a blue ceramic cup with yellow little bunnies on it.

He wonders if they are serving bunny-shaped donuts too.

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After an introduction to the owner and his girlfriend, a petite girl with a loud voice, they were sitting at a corner in the shop with a bunny-shaped donut and two cups of hot chocolate.

He remembered she likes donuts, but today she is not having any.

She was slipping her hot chocolate slowly in front of him and she was awfully quiet.

Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes in determination and pumped her fist in the air, her drink sloshing dangerously in her hand.

He blinked at her and she beamed at him.

Then, she started talking.

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About those little blue men that enjoy stealing her foods and occasionally, tripping her.

About the mecha anime she watched yesterday with piloted robots blasting each other with laser beams.

About her friends, her teachers, sewing club, her part-time job and her secret recipes.

Watching her, he realized that he likes the way she talks.

Then, she paused and looked at him hopefully with her big, bright eyes.

He sighed, looked like it was his turn to talk.

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She didn't ask him the reason for leaving five years ago and he didn't ask her the reason why she has a punk with orange hair as a boyfriend.

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By the time he walked her home, it was already a little past nine at night.

Although it was not snowing, the air was cold.

They stopped by a sukiyaki store after leaving the donut shop.

It was a traditional Japanese themed sukiyaki store managed by a busty blond and a silver man with slit eyes.

He didn't know how he survived the last two hours.

The blond drank a lot of sake and kept on shouting nonsense at their table.

The man kept on showing him his collection of wakizashi and flashed him his mocking smile.

It was chaotic.

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"Thank you for walking me home. P-please be careful on your way home. Beware of the little blue men! The weather lady said it'll snow tomorrow. We can make snow angels together! I hope there will be enough snow to build aliens and bunnies and—"

"Orihime."

"Huh?"

"I want you to come to the states with me."

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**Sorry if the previous chapter was a bit harsh. Don't worry! No more harsh moments, promise. ****Thanks to everyone who reviewed and thanks for reading! :)**


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